There was a father of five who came home one day with a toy and asked which one of them should have the present. “Who is the most obedient here? Anyone here who never talks back to mum and does everything she asks you to do?” After a short period of silence, all of the children replied in one accord: “You can play with the toy, daddy!”
On a more serious note, Dr James Dobson tells one of the most powerful stories in the history of Olympic Games. Bill Havens, a canoeing specialist was the favourite to win a gold medal in the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris. However, when he found that it was very likely his wife would give birth to their first child during the Games, he decided he would not miss this significant milestone and opted to stay home. On 1 August, 1924, Bill welcomed his son into the world, a decision he never regretted.
Over the years, he invested his life into Frank and passed on to him a love for canoeing. At the Olympic Games in Helsinki 28 years later, a day after the canoeing event, Bill received a telegram from his son that read:
Dear Dad,
Thanks for waiting around for me to be born in 1924. I’m coming home with the gold medal that you should have won. Your loving son, Frank
Last Sunday, I asked the kids and youth to answer the question, “What do you appreciate about your dad?” and “What are a couple of encouraging things you would to say to dads in our church?” respectively. This is what they had to say…
What do you appreciate about your dad?
· “I love my grandfather because he always supports me and always pray and not lose hope in God. He also makes the best dumplings! AND NOODLES”.
· “He is very kind and funny, and he is a very good father”.
· “He lets me cut his hair. He plays with me. He plays tricks on me. He makes good sandwiches”.
· “I like my dad when he cooks bacon for me. I like my dad when he bakes sourdough”.
· “He buys me things that I want. He also loves me”.
· “That he loves us a lot and he is very funny and he cooks yummy food”.
· “That he is nice and is able to play soccer. He is very funny”.
What are a couple of encouraging things you would like to say to dads in our church?
· “Thank you for continually contributing. Thank you for always being there to support us”.
· “You are doing a good job and we are grateful for everything you do to help us grow and learning in Christ. Keep doing a great job”.
· “Despite how crazy us kids can be, you all still manage to teach and help us learn and grow. Thank you to all the wonderful fathers!”
· “Thank you for all the love and hard work you all put into your families. We want you to know it does not go unnoticed”.
Christ in us the hope of glory!
Mark
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